Reference News Network, November 20 report: According to the website of the New York Times in the United States on November 18, the Trump administration announced an aggressive plan on the 18th, deciding to continue splitting the Department of Education and terminating the department's functions in supporting primary and secondary school teaching and expanding access to higher education. These functions will basically be taken over by the Department of Labor.

Other adjustments include transferring the child care subsidy program for college students and the function of foreign medical school accreditation to the Department of Health and Human Services; transferring international education grant programs and other projects to the State Department; and the Department of the Interior will take over the Office of American Indian Education.

Removing some functions from the Department of Education aligns with President Trump's ultimate goal of closing the Department of Education. This move has been opposed by teacher unions and student advocacy groups, who argue that its implementation must be approved by Congress through legislation.

It remains unclear how transferring some programs to other agencies is consistent with the rationale provided by Trump for closing the Department of Education. He had claimed that closing the Department of Education would give states greater power in setting school policies. A senior official from the Department of Education stated that these adjustments will streamline bureaucratic approval processes, "ultimately getting more funds directly into the classroom."

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement: "Breaking down the layers of red tape in Washington is a crucial step in fulfilling our final mission." She also stated that these adjustments are intended to "refocus education on students, families, and schools."

The plan was immediately met with opposition from some Republicans, including U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. In a statement, he pointed out, "Core functions of the Department of Education cannot be arbitrarily cut."

Fitzpatrick said, "These functions are fundamental. They protect civil rights, expand opportunities for development, and ensure that every child in every community can have equal opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed."

Kevin Carey, vice president of the Washington-based think tank New America Foundation, said these adjustments are "wasteful, wrong, and not legal."

Carey said, "Secretary McMahon is creating a bureaucratic 'Rube Goldberg machine'—a complex mechanism designed to accomplish simple tasks in a roundabout way. Outsourcing key programs to other agencies wastes thousands of dollars in taxpayers' hard-earned money. It's like paying a contractor double to mow the lawn and then claiming you've cut your home maintenance budget. It makes no sense at all."

Trump administration officials defended the measures by citing recent federal government shutdowns. They pointed out that although almost all staff of the Department of Education were furloughed, schools still opened normally, and teaching activities for students were not interrupted.

Republicans who currently control both chambers of Congress have shown little enthusiasm for voting to pass legislation to close the Department of Education. The U.S. Department of Education was established under a law passed by Congress in 1979.

In his efforts to reform the federal government, Trump has shown little interest in cooperating with Congress. His administration is still trying to weaken the functions of the Department of Education.

After Trump signed an executive order in March this year, he said, "We will shut it down, and as soon as possible." This executive order instructed Education Secretary McMahon to begin dismantling the Department of Education.

McMahon's first action after joining Trump's cabinet was to instruct Department of Education staff to prepare to fulfill the "final mission" of the department, which is to close it. Within a week, McMahon fired 1,315 employees of the Department of Education.

This round of layoffs severely weakened the functions of the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education, which was established to implement Congress's commitment to ensuring all students have equal educational opportunities. At the same time, the layoffs also eliminated the research department of the Department of Education that was responsible for tracking the academic performance of American students.

In July this year, after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for large-scale layoffs at the Department of Education, the Trump administration transferred the functions of adult education, family literacy programs, and vocational education to the Department of Labor. (Translated by Liu Zongya)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7574704141835780634/

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